Download - G ROUNDWORK FOR C OLLEGE R EADING WITH PHONICS Fourth Edition John Langan © 2008 Townsend Press
GROUNDWORK FORCOLLEGE READING
WITH PHONICSFourth Edition
John Langan
© 2008 Townsend Press
Part II, Chapter Three: Vocabulary in Context
THIS CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL
• You don’t always have to use a dictionary to learn the meanings of new words in your reading. You can often
use context clues to figure out the meaning of a word.
• There are four kinds of context clues:
— Examples of the new word
— Synonyms (words that mean the same as the new word)
— Antonyms (words that mean the opposite of the new word)
— The rest of the sentence or passage
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Do you know the meaning of the word consolidate?
Look at the cartoon and see if the context—the words surrounding the unfamiliar word—helps you figure out the meaning of the word.
What does consolidate mean? A. separate B. cancel C. combine into one
Frank and Ernest
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Frank and Ernest are seeking to combine all their small debts into “one giant nightmare” of a loan.
The context tells you that consolidate means “combine into one.”
What does consolidate mean? A. separate B. cancel C. combine into one
Frank and Ernest
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
There are four common types of context clues:
1 Examples
2 Synonyms
3 Antonyms
4 General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
Look at the cartoon and see if the examples help you understand the meaning of the word commitment.
Commitment means A. a promise to do something C. an opinion about something B. an opportunity for something
Copyright © Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
Examples
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESExamples
The cartoon gives three examples of commitment: a 30-year mortgage, a 5-year car lease, and a lifetime gym membership. These examples help you understand that commitment means “a promise to do something.”
Copyright © Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESSynonyms
Context clues are often found in the form of synonyms: one or more words that mean the same or almost the same as the unknown word.
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESSynonyms
Which words in this cartoon help you understand what humiliate means?
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESSynonyms
The words “I feel worthless enough already” help you understand that humiliate means “to make feel ashamed.”
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESAntonyms
Antonyms are words or phrases that mean the opposite of a word.
Antonyms are also useful as context clues.
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESAntonyms
Which words in this cartoon help you understand what overwhelmed means?
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESAntonyms
The antonym “nothing to do” helps you figure out that overwhelmed must mean “having too much to do.”
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUESGeneral Sense of the Sentence or Passage
Often, the context of a new word contains no examples, synonyms, or antonyms.
In such cases, you must become a detective and try to make a guess based on any clues provided.
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
How does this cartoon about a job interview help you understand what the word impressive means?
Copyright © 2001 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
The glowing reference (from the job applicant’s mother!) helps you realize that impressive means “very favorable.”
Copyright © 2001 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com
General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
An Important Point about Textbook Definitions
• Textbook authors often provide definitions of important terms and give examples of the term.
• They usually set off their definitions in italic or boldface type.
Example: Phobias are fears that are out of proportion to the actual danger in a situation. Some people, for example, have a fear of riding in elevators. . . .
CHAPTER REVIEW
In this chapter, you learned the following:
• To save time when reading, you should try to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words. You can do so by looking at their context—the words surrounding them.
• There are four kinds of context clues: examples (marked by words like for example, for instance, including, and such as); synonyms (words that mean the same as unknown words); antonyms (words that mean the opposite of unknown words); and general sense of the sentence (clues in the sentence or surrounding sentences about what words might mean).
• Textbook authors typically set off important words in italic or boldface type and define those words for you, often providing examples as well.
The next chapter—Chapter 4—will introduce you to the most important of all comprehension skills, finding the main idea.